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Glasgow Rangers ended a run of three defeats in succession as they beat Dundee United 2-1 at Ibrox in the Premiership earlier this weekend.

The Gers came into the Scottish top-flight clash off the back of losses against Celtic, Napoli and Ajax in their previous three outings, losing 3-0, 4-0, and 4-0 respectively.

Gio van Bronckhorst’s men may have been low on confidence heading into the match against United and were in desperate need of a win to give everyone a lift heading into the international break.

It did not take long for the Light Blues to brush the disappointment of their recent form aside as Antonio Colak beautifully collected a pass from James Tavernier on the edge of the box before rifling a shot into the bottom corner to make it 1-0 after eight minutes.

The Croatian hero, who turned 29 on the day, doubled the lead in the second half as he raced onto a cross from Borna Barisic to prod the ball into the back of the net at the front post.

United eventually pulled one back but Colak’s double was enough to secure all three points and a much-needed win for the Gers in the Premiership.

The centre-forward has been a revelation at Ibrox since joining in the summer transfer window and it appears as though Ross Wilson has struck gold in the market.

Rangers reportedly paid an initial fee of £1.8m to Greek side PAOK to sign him in the summer and he has already gone a long way to repaying that, if he has not already.

It was previously reported that qualifying for the Champions League group stages would earn the club around £25m and Colak played a huge role in the Light Blues’ successful qualification. He scored three goals in their four qualifiers and that included the winning goal in the play-off tie with PSV to secure their place in the groups, as he tapped the ball in after Malik Tillman teed him up in the box.

Journalist Josh Bunting claimed that he “creates problems” for opposition defences with his strength and that has been shown by his impressive return in front of goal, as he has also caught the eye in the Premiership.

The 29-year-old has racked up six goals and one assist in seven matches in the Scottish top-flight since arriving at Ibrox, which means that he is only five goals behind Alfredo Morelos’ league tally from the entire of last season.

Colak has been directly involved in ten goals (nine strikes and one assist) in 13 matches in all competitions so far and this means that he has cost £200k per goal – given the £1.8m they paid to bring him to Scotland.

This, along with his heroics in the Champions League, shows that Wilson has struck gold by signing him from PAOK and, hopefully, he will celebrate many more goals in the weeks, months, and years to come as Rangers’ starting number nine.

It’s not often that a free transfer is exciting but Tottenham Hotspur appear to have struck gold with the arrival of Ivan Perisic this summer.

The Croatian veteran, 33, was one of the first names through the door as manager Antonio Conte finally got to shape his own squad at Hotspur Way, he joined alongside former Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster as two bargain signings in the off-season.

Perisic had previously worked with the Italian head coach at Inter Milan, whom he joined the Lilywhites from back in May, signing a two-year contract.

As his contract was up at the San Siro, the north London outfit did not have to pay a penny in terms of a transfer fee, though – whilst unofficial – there was probably some sort of signing-on bonus or fee, meaning sporting director Fabio Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy snagged him for peanuts.

It also represented a change in policy as the club have rarely signed players on the wrong side of 30 but at the age of 33, the Croatia international has plenty to offer and we’ve already seen plenty of glimpses of his ambidextrous nature, set-piece precision and relentless work rate.

Indeed, Perisic has already provided four assists from his nine appearances in a Lilywhites shirt across both the Premier League and Champions League, in which just six of those have been starts, as per Transfermarkt.

That makes him the most creative outlet at Conte’s disposal with January addition Dejan Kulusevski tailing behind on three assists.

It makes it even more impressive when you consider the fact that nine other players have managed more minutes than the former Bayern Munich man this campaign, perhaps a sign of the Italian managing his workload.

Even former Arsenal foe Paul Merson has been left in awe by Perisic.

“I’m a huge fan of Ivan Perisic, he’s a top player who works as hard as anybody else on the pitch,” he told Sportskeeda.

“For every young kid who wants to be a professional footballer – watch this player and see how he makes things happen on the pitch. He sets the tone with his work ethic and professionalism and will turn out to be a great signing for Tottenham.”

Also capable of playing on the other flank and in a more advanced role, the vastly-experienced 33-year-old could continue to prove to be the biggest difference-maker in this Spurs squad.

According to CIES Football Observatory, who assess the transfer value of professional footballers on a scientific basis, Perisic is valued at around £18m, so when you combine the fact that Tottenham did not pay a penny for his signature with his impressive start to life in N17, then the club have surely struck gold with the £178k-per-week dynamo.

He is certainly living up to the once-dubbed “monster” tag by journalist Oliver Young-Myles. Age clearly isn’t everything in football.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold drops Ben Davies update…

West Brom attempted to re-sign centre-back Matt Clarke on loan during the summer transfer window, according to reliable journalist Joe Chapman.

The Lowdown: Clarke’s Baggies loan spell

The 26-year-old enjoyed a temporary stint at the Hawthorns last season, arguably standing out as a positive in an otherwise disappointing campaign overall.

Clarke made 33 appearances for West Brom in total, but ended up joining Middlesbrough this summer in what was a long overdue permanent exit from Brighton.

Had things panned out differently, however, the defender could easily be back with the Baggies, following a fresh update.

The Latest: West Brom wanted return for defender

Writing on Twitter, The Birmingham Mail‘s Chapman reports that Steve Bruce and Lai Guochuan tried to bring Clarke in on loan again, and the only reason they missed out was the fact that Boro’s offer was a permanent one:

“Albion did indeed try to secure Matt Clarke’s return in the summer – they’d have landed him on another loan if no other side came in with a permanent offer. Then Boro did.”

The Verdict: Opportunity missed

Clarke showed last season what a competent centre-back he is, winning an average of 3.9 aerial duels per game in the Championship, being hailed as ‘outstanding’ by former Portsmouth teammate Michael Doyle.

It feels like an opportunity missed for West Brom – especially considering their current injury crisis – but it is hard to begrudge the player his move to Boro, considering it was permanent and not on loan.

Clarke could have sured things up at the back for Bruce’s men – they have conceded 14 goals in ten league games this season – but at 26 the Barham-born ace needed to find a long-term home for the next step in his career.

Tottenham Hotspur are plotting a move for Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak to replace Hugo Lloris, according to reports in the last 48 hours.

The Lowdown: Life after Lloris

The Frenchman has been with the Lilywhites for ten years since joining from Lyon, but is expected to leave the club when his contract expires in 2024.

Fabio Paratici now appears to be planning for life after the 35-year-old’s departure, and with the help of Antonio Conte, has identified who he wants to bring to the Premier League as his successor.

The Latest: Spurs interested in Oblak

According to the Evening Standard, Tottenham have made Oblak their ‘primary target to be their next No1’, and have already ‘sounded out’ the shot-stopper over a potential move next summer.

This comes after the boss and director of football are believed to have ‘spoken’ to one another about securing a long-term goalkeeping alternative.

It’s stated that whilst the Slovenian has six years remaining on his deal in La Liga, the Spanish giants would be ‘prepared to discuss a transfer’ with any potential suitors interested.

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The Verdict: Ideal candidate

Fraser Forster was never going to be seen as anything more than cover for Lloris when he put pen to paper in the summer, but Oblak has all the qualities to be the perfect successor.

The 6 foot 2 colossus, dubbed ‘sensational’ by sports journalist Josh Bunting, has kept an impressive 177 clean sheets in 360 outings for Atletico.

Oblak is also a previous Europa League champion and has a Player of the Year title to his name, so he should be able to bring that winning mentality to Spurs should he make the switch next year.

Glasgow Rangers have struggled to carry last season’s Europa League form into the Champions League this campaign.

A 2-0 defeat to Liverpool this evening leaves the Ibrox side at the bottom of group A and their post-Christmas European ambitions are slipping away with every passing game.

The atmosphere was electric at Anfield and Jurgen Klopp’s men ran out easy winners, utilising the high press extremely well and Rangers struggled to cope, similar to their defeat against Celtic last month.

Here are the Light Blues’ player ratings from tonight’s clash.

Rangers player ratings vs Liverpool

Allan McGregor 8/10 – The 40-year-old was Rangers’ best player, making a total of seven saves in the contest, and was Darwin Nunez’s kryptonite, denying the Uruguayan on a number of occasions. Jonny McFarlane dubbed him “incredible” for his first-half performance and it’s easy to see why Giovanni van Bronckhorst has stuck with him.

James Tavernier 6/10 – The captain didn’t display his attacking nous tonight and struggled to get to grips with the match, losing possession a staggering 16 times. Could have inspired the team a lot more to be more positive.

Connor Goldson 7/10 – The Englishman was the most experienced member of the back three, alongside youngster Leon King and summer arrival Ben Davies. He marshalled the defence well and didn’t do much wrong throughout the match.

Leon King 6/10 – The youngster was starting in the Champions League for the first time and the Anfield atmosphere didn’t seem to unnerve him during the first half. The 18-year-old conceded the penalty which Mohamed Salah scored but it was a decent enough showing and he could be the future in this Rangers backline.

Ben Davies 6/10 – Facing his former club, Davies settled into the back three fairly well, winning four out of his seven duels through the encounter. Was taken off for Glen Kamara in the 81st minute but can be pleased with his performance.

Borna Barisic 5/10 – The Croatian has been one of the Ibrox side’s most consistent players of late but he was caught out of position a few times during the match and couldn’t cope with Salah’s pace. He won just two duels all match and will be disappointed with his performance.

John Lundstram 6/10 – Couldn’t repeat his display against Hearts, where he controlled the midfield with his passing ability. The game bypassed him and he completed just one long ball all match, a poor performance for the ever-reliable Englishman.

Steven Davis 7/10 – Brought into the starting XI due to his experience and he displayed all his tactical nous in the heart of the Gers midfield. It wasn’t a classic performance but he attempted to settle the game down when Rangers were in possession.

Malik Tillman 4/10 – Much was expected of the American tonight, but he was very poor. The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell said that he “couldn’t be bothered making an option” and the attacking midfielder is still extremely rough around the edges. He will learn from tonight but it’s another disappointing Champions League performance.

Ryan Kent 5/10 – Rangers needed Kent’s goalscoring threat to be on show to have any chance tonight, but he couldn’t get into the match whatsoever. A poor pass for Barisic in the first half wasted an opportunity and although he had a few nice turns, he didn’t pose a threat going forward.

Alfredo Morelos 5/10 – The striker was extremely isolated up front and with this being a game that he was born to perform in following his European exploits in the last few seasons, it was a shame to see him struggle at the highest level.

Van Bronckhorst brought on five subs and Rabbi Matondo came close to scoring in the last ten minutes, with his shot being cleared off the line.

All in all, it was an underwhelming performance for the Ibrox side and the atmosphere looked like it affected the players. Hopefully, the Dutchman learns from this going forward.

Sky Sports pundit Kevin Campbell has shared his thoughts on West Ham United winger Maxwel Cornet after a ‘tough’ injury setback.

The Lowdown: Hammers on high…

After a worrying patch of Premier League form through August and September, with David Moyes picking up just one win against Aston Villa in that time, it appears West Ham are starting to gain momentum.

October has seen the Hammers clinch three wins from three in all competitions, including impressive top flight victories against the likes of Wolves and Fulham.

Meanwhile, their UEFA Europa Conference League campaign is going smoothly and another win against Anderlecht at the London Stadium this week could seal top spot in Group B.

West Ham, however, have had to achieve all of this without summer signing Cornet after he was taken off injured during their 2-0 victory over Wolves.

The Latest: Campbell reacts to ‘tough’ Cornet injury blow…

Former Arsenal striker Campbell, sharing his verdict on the Ivorian’s setback, believes it is a ‘tough’ one to take for Moyes and West Ham.

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However, he does hold hope he will back sooner rather than later. Campbell explained to Football Insider:

“Not only is he a dribbler, he is one of those players who can turn the jets on.

“He can shift. Once you have got that, there are different permutations to what these guys can do.

“I think it is a tough one. Unfortunately injuries are a difficult thing for teams right now.

“Cornet has started his West Ham career pretty well to be honest.

“Hopefully it is not too long that he is out because he is doing ok.“

The Verdict: Fingers crossed…

Cornet has dazzled when available and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet away to Chelsea earlier this campaign.

His dramatic late equaliser at Stamford Bridge was controversially ruled out through VAR with BBC pundit Ian Wright also backing that the 26-year-old looks ‘dangerous’ when given an opportunity.

As Moyes and the east Londoners attempt to get their season back on track, Cornet’s involvement would come as a real boost.

The doom and gloom surrounding Rangers continued on Wednesday evening despite securing their place in the last four of the League Cup, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side having produced an underwhelming display against Championship outfit, Dundee.

Just a week on from the shambolic defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League at Ibrox, the Old Firm outfit again appeared unconvincing on home soil despite ultimately claiming a 1-0 win, with Steven Davis’ early header having been the rare bright moment in what was a largely drab affair.

The Gers boss was perhaps unsurprisingly unhappy with the nature of his side’s performance against Gary Bowyers’ resilient side, with the home crowd likely to have been expecting more from the Glasgow giants against their lower-league opponents.

Amid that limp display, one potential positive may well have been the performance of goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin, with the 35-year-old having made the most of his return to the side in place of compatriot, Allan McGregor.

The Scotland international had little to do, in truth, against the Dark Blues on the night, although reacted well when called upon to snuff out any potential openings, having been “really sharp” to prevent Zak Rudden from having a run at goal late on, in the words of journalist Joshua Barrie.

The former Sunderland man ‘didn’t let anyone down’ – as per Rangers Review’s Jon McFarlane – with the imposing ‘keeper likely to be hoping to have done enough to keep his place in the side moving forward.

Injury had seen the £315k-rated man initially fall out of the team as fellow veteran McGregor took his place, although the latter man notably endured a grim evening against Jurgen Klopp’s side last week, having been somewhat “suspect” against the Merseysiders, in the words of pundit Gabby Agbonlahor.

While not entirely to blame for his side shipping seven against the Premier League outfit, the 40-year-old may well have sparked concern as a result of his display, having subsequently been uncharacteristically caught out by Stuart McKinstry’s effort in the narrow victory over Motherwell at the weekend.

Amid those shaky outings from the former Besiktas man, it may have been pleasing for Van Bronckhorst to see a more stable display from the returning McLaughlin last night, with the 6 foot 3 ace having done himself no harm with regards to recapturing his previous starting berth, having started on the bench in the past three league games.

West Brom have allegedly made an approach to talk to Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher.

The Lowdown: Schumacher links

Schumacher helped Plymouth pick up another League One victory on Saturday to take them four points clear at the top of the table.

Less than 24 hours later, the 38-year-old was the latest man to be linked with a move to The Hawthorns. Reliable reporter Alan Nixon suggested that Schumacher was on West Brom’s managerial wishlist, and it looks as if they may have firmed up that interest.

The Latest: Approach made

Journalist Owen O’Brien took to Twitter in the last 48 hours, claiming that the Baggies ‘have made an official approach’ and want to talk with Schumacher.

He adds that Schumacher ‘would consider the opportunity, with a compensation fee unlikely to be an issue’.

The Verdict: Interesting…

Both West Brom and Argyle are in action this evening, so it’ll be interesting to see what Schumacher has to say about the rumours.

He has clearly excelled after taking over from Ryan Lowe last year in what is his first managerial role, so a swoop cold prove to be an inspired one by chief executive Ron Gourlay.

Plymouth look like the team to beat in the third tier, so should Schumacher arrive at The Hawthorns, he will surely look to implement his impressive three-at-the-back formation fairly swiftly after making it work in the south west.

Leeds United could unearth their next Joe Gelhadrt in reported transfer target Leon King.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Pete O’Rourke, who stated his belief in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that, with Victor Orta known to be actively looking for exciting young talent to add to Jesse Marsch’s squad at Elland Road, the Glasgow Rangers centre-back would be a signing similar to the Spaniard’s 2020 capture of Gelhadrt from Wigan Athletic.

Regarding the Whites’ reported interest in the 18-year-old, the journalist said: “I think he would be of a similar ilk [to Gelhardt]. I think Leon King’s probably played more first-team football than Joe Gelhardt had when he arrived from Wigan. But Leeds are looking at younger players, not just for the first team, but also for the U21s, which is very strong as well, so they are building for the future.”

The next Gelhardt

While it is true that King does not exactly boast a wealth of first-team experience – having so far featured just 19 times for Rangers, the vast majority of which have come this season – considering the hype currently surrounding the defender, it is not difficult to see why Orta would be keen on a deal to bring the teenager to Elland Road.

Indeed, injuries to the likes of Connor Goldson, Filip Helander and John Souttar have forced Giovanni van Bronckhorst to deploy the Scotland U21 international in the heart of his defence in some incredibly crucial games this season, including four of Gers’ Champions League fixtures and six of the club’s Premiership matches.

And, despite the Scottish side having been on the end of some very heavy defeats in Europe’s most prestigious club competition, King has undoubtedly been one of the brightest sparks in Rangers’ Champions League jaunt, making an impressive average of 2.5 tackles, one interception, 2.3 clearances and winning 3.3 duels – at a success rate of 50% – per game.

His performances in Europe have also earned praise from a number of onlookers, with Jurgen Klopp stating his belief that the teenager had a “good game” in Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Gers, while Alex McLeish also praised the £90k-rated talent’s display against the Reds, claiming that King looked “calm and composed” and was “tremendous” against the Premier League outfit.

As such, while the youngster is most certainly still an extremely raw talent, it is undeniable that the centre-back possesses the potential to go on and enjoy an extremely successful career at the very top level of the game, something that could also easily be said of Gelhardt.

Indeed, the 20-year-old forward has already made 30 appearances for the Whites’ first team, scoring two goals and providing four assists along the way, with Phil Hay dubbing the England U21 international as “one of the club’s biggest talents”.

So, should Orta manage to get a deal over the line for King, considering his impressive returns in the Champions League this season, the Scotsman may well just go on to make a similar impact to that of Gelhardt at Elland Road – a prospect that is sure to be incredibly tantalising for both Jesse Marsch and supporters of the club alike.

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Antonio Conte has been non-committal over the availability of Cristian Romero and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg ahead of his team’s Champions League Group D clash against Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday night.

THE LOWDOWN: FATIGUE WAS FELT

Having been beaten convincingly by Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United just last week, Conte was hit with further detriment over Hojbjerg and Romero, who both felt the fatigue of playing regular minutes for the side and needed a well-earned rest.

As such, both players sat out the game against Newcastle United yesterday, with the manager still unsure as to when they will return to the Tottenham line-up.

THE LATEST: CONTE COY ON DUO’S RETURN

Speaking to the media after the defeat to the Magpies, Conte stated that Romero had struggled over the “last two or three games” and was “half and half” as to whether he would play in Spurs’ two most recent matches. It was a similar struggle with Hojbjerg, having played “every minute of every game”.

The 53-year-old said (via football.london): “Romero was the last two or three games. He arrived every day half and half to decide if he play or doesn’t play. I think in the past we have taken a risk. The players gave their availability to play otherwise, honestly, if the player doesn’t want to play, I don’t force the player.

“Now, after the game against United, he felt a lot of fatigue and then yesterday, he felt fatigued in his calf. Before in his thigh, the right. Now left in the calf. Pierre, it was the same because Pierre played every game, he played every minute, and he was really tired.

“About Richy and Deki? No chance. I don’t know about Pierre and Cuti for Wednesday. If you ask me in this moment, I don’t have an answer because I don’t know the way they recover from this fatigue and this situation if they have something, Romero in his calf or Pierre in his thigh.”

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THE VERDICT: MIND GAMES AT PLAY?

With Conte coy on whether Hojbjerg and Romero would be available for the clash against Sporting, one may wonder whether this is an example of mind games heading into that all-important fixture.

However, if the pair are indeed suffering with fatigue, it would be wise to give them another game off to recover, in order to avoid potential injury.

The Danish midfielder in particular could do with time off if he is not at 100%, having played the third-most minutes of any outfield player in the squad so far this season.